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Friday, August 25, 2006

Filled With Sound And Fury...Signifying nothing

Bishop Gerard Bergie, is encouraging Catholics to boycott an upcoming fundraiser at which former President Bill Clinton is speaking.

Bishop Bergie, who is an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Hamilton in Ontario, says that Clinton is an inappropriate guest speaker for a $500 per seat fundraiser being held by the Catholic Family Counseling Centre, The Kitchener Record reports.

Cathy Brothers, the centre's executive director, told the Record that, “The decision to ask Clinton wasn't connected to the Catholic Church. Nothing that we're doing, with having Bill Clinton, is a comment at all on what we believe. It's not about our Catholicism."

Brothers also claims that despite their name, the organization is actually a non-denominational agency, saying, “We're a very diverse agency made up of people of all different backgrounds and faiths."

While the organization was founded by a priest in 1952, Brothers said that the center still calls itself Catholic, but only follows the portion of the Church’s teachings. “We see ourselves as having been committed to the social teachings of the Catholic Church around the importance of doing good works," Brothers said. "The name has always motivated us to try a little harder to make sure everything we do is based on love and compassion."

OK, so if the so-called Catholic Family Counseling Centre, is simply Catholic in name only, then why doesn't Bishop Bergie start the process for formally declare the Catholic Family Counseling Centre no longer Catholic?

Why not? It happened when the formerly Catholic Marymount Manhattan College in New York City honored the former Co-President, Hillary Clinton.

Bishop Bergie, we're waiting for your Faith to be accompanied by Works.